"Wang." His voice came out rough, cracked at the edges. "I am sorry. I am truly sorry for what happened."
Wang said nothing. His face gave nothing.
Keal kept going, the words coming out in an unsteady rush like he had been holding them behind his teeth for too long.
"After you left to search for Lin Wan..." He swallowed hard. "The female I had been pursuing came to me. She said she wanted to be my female. I agreed. I was glad." His hands pressed flat against the ground. "It was only after I gave her my mark that she told me the terms. That the only way my mark would hold, the only way she would ever bear my cubs, was if I stayed out of your matter with Mei Xiu. If I did not interfere."
Wang's expression didn't shift. But something in his eyes changed.
